Electric time switch



May 17, 1932. F URSQ 1,859,060

ELECTRI C TIME SWITCH Filed July 30, 1931 INvEN'roR F1 G: 2 Franz]; L2 #50.

Patented May 17, 1932 FRANK URSO, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH Application filed July 30,

My invention relates to electric switches to be attached to an ordinary alarm clock and more especially for use in a lighting circuit.

One object of my invention is to provide aswitch which will be operated to throw on a light with the sounding of the alarm on the clock.

Another object is to provide means for manually operating the switch on or off to light or extinguish the light, independent of the clock mechanism.

Another object is to provide means for extinguishing the light by the clock mechanism after the lapse of a predetermined time, whether thrown on by hand or by the alarm and to have a wide range of adjustment.

Another object is to provide a switch mechanism which is simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture.

With these objects in view, my invention consists in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts by which the said objects and certain other objects which will hereinafter appear are attained, the invention being more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, and in which similar characters refer to the same or like parts in the different views,

Figure 1 is an elevation of the rear of an ordinary alarm clock with a small alarm bell in place of the regular bell covering the clock back and with a plan of my electric time switch attached.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a clock as in Fig. 1 but with an alternative construction of'my switch with a wider range of adjustment than in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial section through Fig. 2 on lines 33 and 33 to show the elevation of my time switch.

In the figures, 1 is the alarm clock with 2 an attached electric light bulb. 3 is an electric light plug for screwing into the ordinary house light socket and having a cord 4 attached at 5 to the clock 1. 6 is one wire of the cord 4 connecting with the light 2 and 7 the other wire of cord 4 making connection with one portlon of my switch. Wire 8 con- 1931. Serial No. 553,936.

the movable member 10 while in F 2 the wire 7 connects with the movable member 10 and the wire 8 with the stationary member 9.

In the Figures 1 and 2 the alarm hammer 11 and the release lever 12 for the same, are the usual construction in alarm clocks while 13 is a bell to replace the usual bell which covers the back of the clock.

Referring to Fig. 1, the movable switch arm 10 has a projection 14 with insulation 15 to be engaged by the hammer 11 when the arm 10 is in the 0d or dotted position 10' and when said hammer 11 vibrates in ringing the bell 13. This engagement of hammer 11 with switch 10 serves to close switch 10 with 9 and complete the light circuit through wires 6, 7 and 8 and light bulb 2.

Handle 16 is connected to switch arm 10 to make or break contact with 9 for the purpose of closing or opening the circuit to the bulb 2 by hand. 9 and 10 are insulated from the clock 1 by means of insulation blocks 28 and 29 and the handle 16 is insulated from switch 10 by means of insulation 30.

17 is the minute hand shaft of clock 1 and 18 a lever adjustably fastened thereto by means of a thumb screw 26. Lever 18 has one arm 19 bent toward the back of the clock 1, or downward as shown in Fig. 3. On arm 19 is a piece of rubber 22 to contact with the rubber 21 on standard of switch 10 when the minute hand shaft 17 rotates it. Arm 23 on lever 18 is opposite to arm 19 and has a depending adjustable link 24 with a rubber 25 to also make contact with rubber 21 on standard 20. Link 24 is fastened by wing nut 27 and can be moved to a position 24 shown dotted, when only arm 19 is to be used.

The rubber contact pieces 21, 22 and 25 acts as insulation, but they can be omitted or other contacts can be substituted provided the lever 10 is properly insulated when contacting with arms 19 and 24.

31 is a disk fastened to the back of clock 1 concentric with shaft 17 and having graduations numbered 6 to 60 to indicate intervals of time, the zero point or 60 being between the standard 20 and shaft 17 at the position lever arms 19 or 23 would occupy when throwing switch 10 to break the light circuit.

For hourly range of adjustment, a twenty four toothed wheel 32 is provided, three teeth of which are shown and the teeth numbered as shown. 32 is mounted on a stub shaft 33, and operated by a finger 34 which is fastened on the lower part of minute shaft 17 by means of a screw 35. Mounted on the hub 36 of wheel 32 is an arm 37 and having a thumb screw 38 for fastening and adjustment. 39 is a. standard on switch 10 and having insulation 40 with which lever 37 contacts in throwing said switch 10.

The operation of the time switch is as follows:

When the alarm is set for say five oclock in the morning, the vibration of hammer 11 to ring alarm bell 13 also contacts with the projection 14 of switch 10 and throws said switch 10 to contact with stationary switch arm 9 and cause bulb 2 to be lighted. The lever 18 has been set and clamped on shaft 17 so that in say fifteen or twenty minutes the arm 19 or 24 will contact with standard 20 and throw off switch 10 to extinguish light in bulb 2. When link 24 is in operative position as shown in Fig. 3, arm 19 or 24 can only be set to throw the switch 10 for a maximum of thirty minutes. If it is desired to set the lever 18 to throw the switch 10 for a maximum between thirty and sixty minutes, the link 14 is thrown out of action by locking it in a position 24' by means of wing nut 27 when the arm 19 can be set to throw the switch 10 for any elapsed time up to one hour.

When the alarm is used for a regular time, and the lever 18 set to extinguish the light a certain number of minutes after said alarm, no further setting is required unless a different number of minutes for the burning of the light is desired.

The handle 16 can be used to light or extinguish the light in bulb 2, or the light can be extinguished by the lever 18 the desired number of minutes after being put on by handle 16, as where a child is left to go to sleep with the light on and after a certain time the light will go out without further attention.

Where the hour wheel 32 is furnished the lever 37 operates to throw off the switch arm 10 and said lever 37 is adjustable for any hour during the twenty four. When the minute lever 18 is in use the hour lever can be put out of action by loosing thumb screw 38 and in the same way when the hour lever is in use the minute lever can be put out of action by loosing thumb screw 26. Finger 34 can also be put out of action by loosing screw 35 to stop action of hour lever 37. In setting the hour lever 37 for use the finger 34 can also be set for any number of minutes in addition to the hours.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim:

1. In a device of the class described, including an alarm clock, an alarm hammer, an electric switch insulated from and operable by said hammer for closing said switch,

, a graduated disk fastened to said clock concentric with said shaft and a lever adjustably mounted on said shaft, said lever having oppositely disposed arms for contactin with and opening said switch, one of said lever arms having a link adjustable to be thrown out of operative position with said switch.

3. In a device of the class described, including an alarm clock, an alarm hammer, an electric switch operable by said hammer for closing said switch, a minute hand shaft,

a graduated stationary disk concentric with said shaft, a lever adjustahly mounted on said shaft, said lever having oppositely disposed arms for contacting with and opening said switch, means for adjusting said lever T? so either one of said arms will open said switch a maximum elapsed time of thirty minutes after the closing of said switch, and a link on one of said arms adjustable for throwing out of operative position with said 1 switch, whereby the opposite arm will open said switch a maximum elapsed time of one hour.

4. In a device of the class described, including an alarm clock, an alarm hammer, an electric switch operable by said hammer for closing said switch and lighting an electric light, a minute hand shaft, a graduated disk fastened to said clock and concentric with said shaft, a lever adjustably mounted on said minute hand shaft for opening said switch a maximum elapsed time of sixty minutes, a twenty four toothed wheel corresponding to the twenty four hours of a day, a lever adjustable on said wheel for opening said switch and a finger on said minute hand shaft for moving said wheel one tooth at each rotation of said minute hand shaft, said finger adjustable for minutes about said minute hand shaft.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

FRANK URSO. 

